Health & Beauty

Who knew juice could change your life?

Vicki from CVG Fruit, an Australian based juicing company, is on a mission to introduce Queenslanders to the health – and taste - benefits of freshly squeezed, unprocessed fruit and vegetable juices.

Along with her husband Caesar, Vicki operates juice stalls at festivals and farmers markets, including the popular Jan Powers Farmers Markets. “We’ve been doing this for more than twenty years,” she said. “And since we started in 1992, the juice industry has really grown.”

Back then, consumers wanted yoghurt in their smoothies. Now, the trend is towards freshly squeezed raw fruits, with melon juice an ever popular addition. While many people can appreciate the taste benefits of a fresh juice, few really understand the health benefits, Vicki said. 

 “Our juices are fresh and raw and nothing is processed,” she said. Among the healthiest of juices Vicki produces is a popular watermelon, apple and lime juice. “Health fanatics understand the benefits of juices. Most of the population doesn’t, but they’re catching up,” she said. “People go through the fast food stage of life but we need to get back to unprocessed, and natural, all raw fruits and vegetables.”

Watermelon in particular, is a good source of Vitamin A and C and potassium and iron. It also contains high levels of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant shown by large international studies to lower the risk of developing certain cancers. When you buy a freshly squeezed juice from Vicki and Caesar, you’re treated to a fruit skewer of watermelon, pineapple and banana on top.

In time, Vicki hopes consumers will understand that fresh, unprocessed juices can change their lives. But in the meantime, she’s happy to be kept busy making the juices her customers love.